Customer Reviews

Grandia Extreme

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Grandia 2 for the Sega Dreamcast was one of the best RPG games in recent years. So, it was without question that this title would be on my 'must-buy' list when I read about its release. I figured it would be at least as good as G2, and hopefully better, with the PS2's DVD storage capacity. Well, after playing for nearly 120 hours (longer than I have spent on any other game), I'm still not sure whether to reccommend this game.
Part of me is dissappointed, very dissappointed in the RPG aspects of this game. There is little, if any, storyline, and the characters are just typical anime kid stuff. The storyline in G2 was amazing. The scope of that game rivals any Final Fantasy game, yet the game itself was too easy. In Xtreme, the game is much harder, but the story is soo bad, they could have left it out entirely, and had a more interesting game.
So, what makes one put in 120 hours (and counting) into a game that is so uninteresting? The gameplay. The game's battle system is the best I've ever played. I've never been a fan of dungeon-exploring, 1st person style adventure games, but this game is different. The action moves along so smoothly, and the games system of levelling up is ingenious. You can complete each stage as often as you want, each time with tougher enemies, and build your characters stats to unbelievable levels. And yes, the bosses can be fought more than once as well. And when you think you've actually beaten the game, think again. All the dungeons gain a HUGE increase in difficulty and a new 100-level dungeon appears.
Overall, if you are looking for a fun game, that you will enjoy playing for weeks, I can't reccommend Grandia Xtreme enough. Just try to ignore the bad voice acting, and weak storyline, ok?

Yes, the Grandia serie finally gets an original title for the PS2, no the story is not as good as the first two, yes the battle system is still amazing, yes the characters are still memorable, and yes this is still a good RPG.

The battle system is still the same amazing battle system that caught our eye in the first two Grandia games and believe it or not it can still be tweaked with to make it better! Now characters can combine moves together to perform double, triple or even Quadruple techniques!

The magic and such is more of a crossover between the two Grandia games. There are a total of about 72 spells total and that means more than in the second Grandia game (but STILL less spells than the first). The game is packed with over 100 enemies! Almost 100 dungeons, and still memorable characters.

Probably my only two major gripes with the game were that the storyline wasn't as good as the first two Grandia games, and it didn't seem like there was as much thought put into it becaue the storyline eventually got predictable and there weren't as many plot twist as the first two (and for Grandia when I say plot twist I really mean Jaw Droppers). And that there was only one place you could save but I didn't really have a problem with that since you can go back there in literally a second and go back to where you were in the same amount of time.

The dungeons present some complex puzzles and you actually have to think a little more than usual. This brings out some fun factor for those who like to solve puzzles.

Navigating dungeons is much easier than in previous Grandia games. Now, instead of following a compass (did that bother anyone else when they were in towns besides me?) you have a map much like in FFX that will tell you where enemy parties are! This is a great RPG. Also, again, unlike Final Fantasy I was happy that the game is so much more focused on the Characters involved in the story whether than the world around them. What I mean, they really fight for what they believe in, and they don't always need someone to say "you'll die too if you don't save this world." meaning they don't always need motivation like most other characters in RPGs.

I also liked how you could combine eggs to make different ones for using magic! And what helps character developement is that they really do stick to whether they are made for magic or attacking. What I mean is certain characters can only equip a certain amount of Magic or Mana eggs at a time.

Also, there are skill books that have different abilites for characters. And as with the Mana eggs depending on whether they're made for magic or not, so like Mana Eggs Characters can equip a certain number.

The other problem that I had with this guide is that While I like the fact that the difficulty is better, I also didn't like the fact that they weren't enough boss battles.

OVERALL: This is a nice RPG and its very complex just compared to the other two Grandia's the story isn't quite as good. so...

POSITIVE
+The Amazing Battle system is still there!
+Memorable Characters
+Complex unique magic system
+Great skills system
+Story is told real well...
+Great way to navigate around

NEGATIVE
-Grandia veterans will find this easy (bosses can be tough)
-Not enough Boss fights! (probably about 12 boss battles!)
-Grandia fans will like how the story is told but won't completely like what the story is (any RPGer will still love it)

Good RPG and like I said in my Grandia II review I happen to be more intrigued by Grandia than Final Fantasy. Not everyone sees it that way but I'm just saying give Grandia a chance RPGers, there are more RPGs than just Final Fantasy and Zelda.

In the last decade, video games have taken a very different formula from the roots. In the days before consoles, it didn't matter what the story of a game was. All that mattered was the gameplay. Why PacMan is running away from ghosts and eating power pellets is all but ignored. Then one day, someone introduced a magic element called plot, which could be used to cover up bad gameplay, and suddenly a hundred game companies eschewed forth clumsily-made games in the name of 'plot', to the point that gameplay has been all but ignored.

Then along comes a game like Grandia Xtreme, a pure dungeon-crawler and battle-oriented RPG which is moved along by a very basic, simple, and predictable storyline involving an army operation to end the "Elemental Disorder" which has been causing chaos on the planet only to find, as you might predict, there is a much darker scheme behind the army's intent. To most who have become accustomed to the 'Final Fantasy standard' (it doesn't matter if the game is fun, as long as the story is good), Grandia Xtreme is a fun, but mediocre game. However, to those who have been fans of RPGs for a long time and are looking for a more modern version of what they grew up with, this is it.

Several changes have been made in the fool-proof Grandia formula. Grandia Xtreme features only one true town, that being Locca, the base of operations for Evann (the main character) and party. Evann travels to different ruins through the use of a world map and links called "Geo-Gates", which differ from save points in that they transport Evann to and from Locca (where he is able to save, sell and buy items, etc.). Within each ruin is a multi-leveled labyrinth filled with monsters, traps, puzzles, hidden doors, and secret items. Each dungeon is meticulously designed and executed, promoting hours of exploration as well as sight-seeing. Also, dungeons not only respawn monsters, but items as well once they are beaten, allowing Evann to revisit each ruin to find new items. Another new element of dungeon-crawling involves the use of a ready stance, which Evann can use to reduce the chance of being attacked preemptively.

The battle system hasn't changed much, using the same real-time/turn-based system in the previous Grandia titles. The only noticeable differences are that the monsters in each dungeon level up with Evann, keeping the game difficult, and SP recharges as the battle goes on at a very fast pace, allowing for multiple special attacks within any single battle. Characters now have joint special attacks, where two, three, or even four characters can perform one special attack using their combined power, allowing for dozens of different special attacks any one character can use.

The mana and skills system, on the other hand, has changed quite a lot. Mana eggs are still used, but instead of learning new spells as the character uses them, new spells are created by joining mana eggs together, called "junctioning". Also of note is that MP is not based on the character, but on the egg itself, and the more times an egg is junctioned, the more MP and the more powerful the spells it will contain. The skills system utilizes papers found in the dungeons which are turned into skills by the Skillmaster in Locca. Those skill pages are then placed in different skill books, which are equipped on characters just as mana eggs are. To balance out magic-casting and skill use, characters can equip several mana eggs and skill books, but only a total of 6, and each character has a predetermined number of each they can equip (one may have 4 mana eggs and 2 skill books, another may have 4 books and 2 eggs).

Musically, Grandia Xtreme stands up along with its predecessors as a gorgeous masterpiece by Iwadare, who never seems to lose his touch. Many of the songs are very similar in style to those of Grandia II, while a few have a new Latin styling which simply adds to their beauty. Also included are neat little melodies called 'sound bytes' which can be found by revisiting ruins, as well as remastered versions of battle themes from previous Grandia titles, available upon beating the game. The rest of the sound except for sword clangs will have you gritting your teeth. The voice acting is pretty bad, especially in comparison to Grandia II (and even Grandia), but possible to stomach, especially Lisa Loeb who is perhaps the best voice actress in the game. Several battles are overshadowed by the sounds of things flying, which gets very annoying after a while. Overall, the sound is okay, but the English dialog could have improved greatly.

And finally, we come to graphics. Grandia Xtreme is graphically superior to the Dreamcast version of Grandia II in one sense -- the character models have mouths. Other than that, the game has pretty much the same graphical charge as the previous title. However, the expansive labyrinthine ruins are breathtakingly gorgeous with plenty of neat lighting effects to emphasize them. Luckily, Grandia Xtreme features none of the graphical glitches that were the bane of Grandia II's PS2 port.

Overall, Grandia Xtreme is a definite must-have if you are a fan of the series or dungeon-crawlers in general. It has all the gameplay that appealed in previous games, and more added on. It even has a second quest that becomes available upon beating the game. If you're not a fan of the Grandia series, you're better off picking up Grandia II and giving it a whirl.

Grandia Xtreme definately starts up with an interesting plot. Sure, scarce cliches are scattered here and there, but originality is a high point of the gameplay -- Well, as original as a sequel can be. The fact that Grandia Xtreme was not simply named Grandia III is a helpful guide to know that this will not be exactly what Grandia II brought to gamers. The most noticable differences include the inclusion of a Mana combining system, the world map itself, and basically the battle system itself.

The battle system has been revamped. The battle gauge has changed into its newer, circular form while performing actions such as magic spells and arts have become a bit more tedious. Personally, I enjoy the addition of performing coupled/group arts which offer powerful blasts for unsuspecting enemies. The only noticable problem I have with Grandia Xtreme is it random enemy encounters. While playing Grandia II, I never got tired of the battles because the battle engine was so original. Grandia Xtreme has more battles that Grandia II, and you'll actually find yourself using the AI feature a lot.

The graphics are a step backwards also. Grandia II had better graphics on the DC/PS2 than Grandia Xtreme did. Therefore, if you are an eye candy hog like I am, it'll turn you off.

All-in-all, Grandia Xtreme is a mediocre RPG for all returning Grandia fans. I wouldn't necessarily recommend this game to those unaware of the Grandia legacy. Go perchase yourself Grandia II for a good RPG with original plot, characters, and battle system. Grandia Xtreme was plainly put, a step backwards.

Plot: 4/5
Graphics: 3/5
Battle Engine: 5/5
Music: 3/5
Reviewer's Tilt: 3/5
Average: 3/5 XD

I've been well awaiting the arrival of this game. Now that it is in my possesion I must say that I'm truely satisfied. If you liked the fighting from Grandia II, you'll be pleased at the the improved battle system.{Took me a lil while 2 figure it out but now that I understand everything, I must say they did improve it} Ah, but you must give to recieve. In this case, you give up a deep story for a better battle system. The story {though enjoyable} is pretty simple. Theres also not much moving around. There's 2 towns. Only one of any real use. The rest of the time you're going through dungeons. All said and done, the game is truely fun. It met my expectations since I wasn't expecting 2 much of a story. If you're a fan of Grandia and loves to fight and level up, this is for you. If want to a deep story you should wait for Grandia III.

I have to say, I couldn't wait to get this game, since I loved Grandia 2. But the story and the depth of the area in which the game takes place, almost kills the game. Its pretty disapointing since in grandia 2 you could travel all over the place, while the story line was linear (such is grandia xtreme, to an extent), it was still fun.

The battle system is incredible, the game itself is fun to play, but after a while you feel like your just jumping from one dungeon to another with a story that doesn't build up to much. The voice acting is both horrible and good at the same time, it sounds on some character that they are just reading lines, like you would if you saw it, in other words no emotions into the characters leaves them bland and unlikeable.

The mana and skills system is a little annoying since you have to go into town to get them developed, leaving you with 5-10 skills in your inventory when you could just put items there, making you wish you could find the geo-stream and return home quickly as possible.

But in conclusion, the game is enjoyable, like I said, it takes a while to get used to it, and as long as you play it to see what happens next, it keeps your mind off the flaws. which is why it got 4 stars.

Not enough save points and mana eggs,the grandia world in this game is small, and the story [is bad]. Spent to much time leveling up and gathering gold to buy gear and weapons.

Graphics. Fine, some load times are a little slow, but pretty normal for a PS2 RPG.

Gameplay. Interesting changes from the previous Grandia games. It's a little annoying that you have to be in town (of which there is only one), to change magic or skills, but all in all an enjoyable system. Bosses are actually challenging in this one. A few of them I had to play over again because I got whooped (including the final boss). As an aside, there are only 5 dungeons, of which 4 you are required to play through more than once to acquire all side quest items, and level up enough to actually be able to defeat the final boss.

Story. One word. WEAK. There is virtually no character background. You are not given more than a few snippets of how the "team" interacts with each other. At the beginning of the game, it was much more interesting. The different characters from different cultures who were once at war are thrust together to achieve a common goal. They fight and the hero, being the only one with virtually no national bias is named the leader (of course). But then we hear NOTHING about any of this for the rest of the game.

The whole Ranger thing was described so much better in the GAME MANUAL than it was in the actual game. You see, these Rangers, of which our hero is, are the only people who are able to travel through Geo Points. It's the only way to get out of dungeons and to get into certain ones. Anyway, Evann (the hero)'s father was also a Ranger, and at the beginning of the game he is not very good at doing the whole Geo Stream thing, and he is conflicted about it because his dad was apparently a great Ranger or something. But the thing is, once the gameplay begins Evann has abslutely no trouble using any Geo Point and nothing is ever said again about his doubts in his abilities.

We get these hints of character backgrounds and motivations at the beginning, but once the game gets going nothing develops of them. A handful of the other playable characters have personal feelings about the mission, as their lives were personally affected by it, etc., but once they have told their bit we hear nothing from them for the rest of the game. I got more of an insight into the characters' "character" from their battle behavior than I got from cut scenes.

And the cutscenes themselves were a bore. Once we get into the REAL mission (because there is always a REAL mission) it is just the same recycled garbage for the rest of the game. I don't think I will ever care to hear anyone ever say anything about "human individuality" again (this is an obviously anti-communist propoganda game, possibly made by the Japanese government to brainwash it's populace into fearing socialism, so it can continue it's post WWII tradition of comsumer culture and passive American attention, an idea that seems silly until you realize how sucky this game is, and how it obviously was developed by people who had no idea what they were doing, ie, goverment politicians). See, the ancient people of this world were trying to create perfection. Paradise on earth, (futuristic distopia? *nudge nudge*, eh?) you know the drill. So they experimented and created this being (Quanlee), who of course becomes the villain, because the only way he can make the world perfect is to make everyone his mind slave. Honestly, I started muting the game and not bothering to read the script anymore after the first ten times Dean Cain, er, I mean Evann started arguing with Quanlee about it (though I have to say, All-American voice actor boy, Cain, is the perfect choice for representing the Western World's symbol for Capitalism over Communism in this Japanese government's cautionary tale of giving too much power to socialists).

Oh, and the voice acting... I don't think I have ever played a game with worse voicework. Dean Cain, as we all know and not so much love for his Television role as Superman, sounded like he was reading the script for the first time when they recorded. He put pauses-where-pauses-shouldn't-go, and he EMPHASIZED-the-last-word-in-every-SENTENCE.

Luke, er I mean, Mark Hamill, did a much better job, though I stopped seeing Krutz, Kertz, er, Kroitz, yeah that's it, because after a while I started closing my eyes whenever he started talking and imagined The Joker from the Batman animated series. First, because that's the voice he was doing (yes, people, that was him doing The Joker), as it was impossible to avoid knowing this fact, and secondly, it made everything he said that much more entertaining.

Lisa Loeb. I liked her a lot more when I realized she did the voice of Lutina and not Diene. Not only was Diene terrible as a character (and as a name, "Diene?!"), her voice was also terrible. Lutina was a little better, and I can't blame Lisa for the fact that Lutina's character was under-developed and had weak combo attacks...

That said, the only redeeming characters in the game are the lovable Titto and Myam. Titto, as his name would suggest is a young adorable knife wielding elf who hits three, count em, three times every attack, instead of the standard two. He is the most honest and likable character when lame discussions are going on between the parties. He's kind of like the son you see crying when mommy and daddy are fighting. You just want to reach down and give him a big ol' hug and pinch on the cheek. Then there's Myam, who absolutely rocks. She is by far the most fun of any character in battle. Her pouty antics in storyline scripting aside, when she falls flat on her face after shooting her arrow attack, NEVER GETS OLD! And when the battle goes quickly and she is the one who does the final blow, her statement is priceless (I won't spoil it here, because I could not possibly do it justice in written form, all I WILL say about Myam's battle tactics is... "Vroom Vroom Vroom!").

And finally, Side Quests. Or should I say, Side QuesT. It's just the one, with no real point. You are charged with collecting sound bites (and incidentally ryo-ohki-esque animals called carros, who dance to music made from said sound bites) for a group of incompetent musicians who are incapable of composing anything worthwhile unless some teenaged Ranger brings them objects that make odd noises... After you beat the game another mini-game opens up (as well as another song to be made from sound bites, but we won't go into that here). Oh, yes people, the fun doesn't stop just because the evil has been vanquished (where did Kroitz go, anyway?), oh no. You get to keep going because Quanlee lost his heart, it's in music form at that... *rolls eyes* Ok, I lied, I got into it, but anyway, this mini-game is just that, mini. You get to go to Juston (possibly an allusion to the first Grandia game's hero, Justin, though he shares no other real similarities after the name and red hair)'s house and play an over-priced slot machine to never win under-valued items...

So, if Grandia Xtreme were a student in a class that I was teaching (keeping in mind I am not a teacher) and I gave it an exam, here is how it would score:

Graphics: 7.5 (average)
Gameplay: 8.0 (innovative but sometimes annoying)
Storyline: 8.0 (a suprisingly high potential)
Plot: -5.0 (when you get high marks for story potential and you don't follow through with a decent plotline you lose points)
Character Development: 0.0 (there is none)
Voice Work: 5.0 (hit and miss)
Side Quest and mini Game: 5.0 (virtually pointless, difficult and unrewarding)
Bonus Questions: 3 of 5 correct (I figure it would have to know some general knowledge to give it an edge in my grading criteria, as I do not like to use the grading on a curve method IN MY CLASS!)

Total:

~3.91 + 3 point bonus = roughly 7.0
-1 for dropping the "E" in "extreme"
+1 for being a pre-Squenix Enix game...

=

a whopping 7.0 ladies and gentlemen!

It passed, barely...

First, the bad news. The story of this game is almsot nonexistent, and what is there is pretty dull the characters are all utterly one-dimensional. That's a huge disappointment, considering how strong the previous Grandia games were in those areas. Also, the voice acting is hilariously bad.
However, the combat is a lot of fun, and all the different stuff you can do to improve your characters is pretty addictive. It definitely falls short of previous Grandia games, but it kept me playing anyway.

This game plays like an x-rated film; flimsy plot, but you won't care cause the actions great.
This has possilbe the best fighting controls I've seen, lots of moves, very configureable characters.
One thing - you start with a whole bunch of characters right at the beginning; I found it best after replaying to pick four well-balanced members and stick with them (be sure to balance out the magic/fighting....)trying to develop everyone (I did that the first time) left ALL characters kind of behind.
The mana egg development system is cool - no more casting spells just to build levels - spells are 'developed by crossing various mana eggs into more powerful eggs. Characters have personal skills that can be developed only by practise.
there are only a handful of bosses, but you can fight them over again as you like. They're refreshingly difficult - defeating them is an accomplishment!
Enjoy!